Art of burning liquid fuel



A. .LLOEPSINGER ART OF BURNING LIQUID FUEL Original Filed April 196 1923 Jam. 29, 1929.

eras

ALBERT Original application filed April 19, 1923,

his invention relates to improvements in the art of burning liquid fuel. More particularly it is useful for burning oil fuel such as petroleum distillates of the order of kcro 5 sene, or less volatile oils, to the end that these may be handled with the simplicity, quietness and safety which are desirable in domestic apartments Several important advantages are incident to use of my improved process, among which are, in general, and as compared with processes heretofore proposed for burning liqui fuel, the elimination of preliminary heating for vaporizing; the avoidance of blasts of steam and compressed air for atomizing; and with these a freedom from the roar that accompanies combustion wherever vapor, steam or compressed air participates; also the production of flame at substantially atmospheric pressure. In consequence, the liquid fuel may be handled with the convenience of gaseous fuel, but without the problems and incidents whichareattendant upon actually converting it to gaseous form.

The process ofthe invention atomizes liquid fuel by mechanical power at a distance from the flame; thatis, it breaks it. into particles so small as to be capable of floating in air as a fog, and then conveys these to the burner by flotation in relatively quiet air, which is insuflicient to permit of the combustion of the floating matter. Inasmuch as the fuel does not meet the air which is to carry it until the body of liquidhas already beendispersed,it follows that. the energy for accomplishing its dispersal does not have to be carried by the air, as in those processes heretofore known where a blast of air or steam'rushing past a small opening has to disperse the solid stream of liquid which is fed thereto. Therefore the relative quantity of air can be limited to that which is needed or desired for flotation of the dispersed fuel. And the ratio of air to the fuel carried by it can be controlled so that the slowly moving current has not enough air in proportion to its burden of fuel to support the combustion. This insuffiency of air assures safety. The arranging of the fuel in a state of colloidal suspension as a fog permits of its remaining indefinitely in the air even though the air be moving very slowly indeed or even be stationary in the conduit, or in some pocket or chamber along its course. The slow fiowgivesquietness of combustion. And

Serial No. 633,135.

SeriaI No. 244,408.

inatic, of apparatus tion.

The shaft of J. LOEPSINGER, .OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

ART OF BURNING LIQUID FUEL.

Divided and this application filed January the gas-like fluidity of the mixture, coupled with its slowness of motion, permits the location of the fog-generating means at any convenient distance or direction from the flame. Also it permits of a single fog-generating means being used .toservea plurality of furnaces. And it makes simple and silent burning apparatus available for heaters of the larger sizes and for burning the less volatile or so called heavier oils.

In my pending application for patent, Se-

d rial No. 633,135, filed April 19, 1923, of which this application is a division, I have disclosed and claimed apparatus which is suitable for practicing the present invention, like that here shown. However, other means may be employed for carrying the invention into effect. It is intended that this patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the art disclosed.

- The accompanying drawing shows an elevation, partly in section, somewhat diagramfor practising the invena small electric motor 10 carries a fan 12 and rotor disk 13; and the edge of the disk travels close to an annular series of impact spatter blades 14, rigidly fixed around its periphery, interiorly of a dished. S5 casing 16. The region of the peripheral edge is open into the entrance 18 of a main conduit 18 whose vestibule surrounds the casing 16 at a little distance, suflicient to let air be drawn into the duct close to the edge of the rotor and to the blades as at 21. A gentle draft is here caused by suction suitably induced at a point farther along the duct as by the injection of the air blast from the said fan. This blast through pipe 22 to annular chamber 24 surrounding the duct 18, is jetted into the duct through openings 26, in a conical partition 28, in directions leading to the burner grid 30 within the firebox of the fifrnaee. The parts described may be arranged in any convenient relation to the firebox; but the wall 82 of the latter is shown just beyond where the annular chamber 24 surrounds the main duct 18.

With the motor in operation, turning the the form of a thin film over the rotating disk.

contracted by the converging From the periphery of the disk it is thrown by centrifugal force ag'ainstthe fixed blades; and by impact therewith it is pulverized into tiny particles which float ed in the air like a fog. These particles are carried along the mainduct 18 toward the burner by the gentle current of-air which is entering through the annular port 21, the stream being gradually bell walls 18"" until it enters the cylindrical portion 18 This slow moving current in the duct 18 has not enough air to support combustion of the rich load of liquid fuel particles, which are dispersed through it. As'the main body is air it may be regarded as analogous to a body of illuminating gas which it resembles in behavior, as the presence of the small globules of liquid fuel floating dispersed in the air does not alter the gaseous behavior of the mass a whole; Such vaporization as the liquid fuel has undergone at this stage, if any at all, is inconsiderable and is purely incidental. The

I injection of supplemental air into the stream oiifuel, which, in the analogy above proposed, con'ipares with the customary introduction of primary air of combustion, occurs at the entrance of the main duct into the furnace firebox, Where the duct is somewhat en larged, having walls 28 which constitute a conical perforated partition from the primary air supply chamber 2 1. This enlargement is at once reduced by thesloping portion 18 of Wall just beyond, whose convergence increases the velocity of flow so that the. speed at which the then combustible mixture enters the burner box 36 under the grid, is greater than the speed of propagation of the flame backward. This controlled relation of velocity of flow prevents backfire and makes the apparatus safe from such danger. The veloc ty of flow may be increased by increasing the pressure in the chamber 24' thus causing the primary air jets to enter thetcurrent of fog at a greater speed, the blower 12 bein made large enough to supply such air and speed as are needed.

The speed and amount of air delivered to the conduit 18 from. the fan may be regulated by a damper 3'6 placed in the pipe 22. In the type of blower illustrated the partial closing of damper 36 will merely cause less air to be passed through to blower.

The relatively low velocity of the current issuing through the burner produces a long, lazy and silent flame, usually rather longer than that represented in the drawing, in contra-distinction to the roaring flame of the forced draft type of burners. The flame burns the minute dispersed and floating liquid droplets, without smoke, without noise, and with substantially complete combustion.

If the pipe 34 delivers fuel beyond the amount which is atomized and carried away by the rotor blades and air current, theexcess drains from the sloping walls of the belled :tgs caaee end 18 of the conduit and may be entrapped by suitable means (not shown) and be again placed in the liquid'supply. ll claim as my invention: 1. The art of burning liquid fuel comprising the converting of the fuel into finely divided liquid particles capable of floating in air; the dispersing of the fuel particles through a'body of air suitable in quantity to float said fuel and to make therewith a non-' combustibly rich mixture; and theconveying of said liquid particles to the burner by slow movement of the air in which they are floating;

2. The art of burning liquid fuel comprising the converting of the fuel into finely divided liquid particles capable of floating in slowly moving air; particles through a body of air suitable in quantity to float said fuel and to make there with a non-combustibly rich mixture; and the conveying of said liquid particles to the burner by movement of the air in which they are floating; and the discharging of the mixture at the burner at a pressure close to atmospheric pressure, for combustion.

3. ,The art of burning liquid fuel comprising the forming of the fuel and of air, within a confined space at a Y burner, into a fog characterized by the tendency of the particles of fuel held in suspension therein to become uniformly dispersed throughout the body of air which is within said confined space; and then guiding to the 5. The art of binning liquid fuel. con'iprising the producing ofa. slow moving current of air to the burner. at approximately atinospheric pressure. and confiniugit to a definite path in so moving; the breaking up of the liquid fuel by spattering in small as to be capable of floating. in said air, and the dispensing of said particles through said air, whereby it is floated to the burner.

G. The art of burning liquid fuel, compris ing the atomiziug of the liquid in which air is at approximately atmospheric pressure; the producing of a current of air slowly moving to the burner; and the dispersing of the atomized particles through and the floating of them in the slowly moving current of air wherewith they form an incombustibly rich mixture .and whereby they are conveyed to the burner.

viscosity and a uniform colloidal dispersithe dispersing of the fuel to particles sodistance from the loility of the order of kerosene which consists, conveying it to the burner in the air as a ve-, 1n converting it into a collo dal suspension hicle in which it is thus dispersed; the quan- 10 of the fuel in liquid state in air; and conveytitative relations of fuel and air being a mixing it to the burner in the air as a vehicle in ture which is non-combustibly rich. 5 which it is thusdispersed. I Signed at Providence, R. 1., this 29th clay of 8. The art of burning liquid fuel which December 1927. consists in converting it into a colloidal suspension of the fuel in liquid state in air; and ALBERT J. LOEPSINGER.

, CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 1,100,269. Granted-January 29, 1929, m

ALBERT J. LOEPSINGERL It is hereby certified: that error appears .in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 120, claim 6, strike out theword "air" and insert same before the word "which" same. line and claim: and that the said Letters Patent should be. read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. Signed and sealed this 21st day of January, A. D". 1930.

v a M. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

